Just Cause
| rarity = Common | type = Global Enchantment | casting_cost = | upkeep_cost = | research_cost = | effects = The casting wizard receives -1 to Unrest in all cities and a bonus while the spell is in effect. }} Just Cause is a Common Global Enchantment belonging to the realm. For it may be cast on the overland map to give the caster -1 to Unrest in all cities and a Fame bonus of exactly , both of which will only linger while the spell remains in effect. Just Cause requires an Upkeep Cost of per turn to maintain. Effects Just Cause will spread word of the wizard's deeds throughout the land, reducing Unrest and bestowing a significant bonus to . Unrest Bonus While Just Cause is in effect, all cities controlled by the casting wizard receive -1 to Unrest, boosting the economy. (This bonus is not mentioned in the in-game documentation.) Fame Bonus While Just Cause is in effect, its casting wizard receives a flat, constant bonus of to his or her Fame rating. In other words, the wizard's Fame level is kept at points higher than it would be without the spell. As a result of this, the wizard will receive more visits from Heroes and Mercenaries seeking employment; and Merchants will show up more often with Magical Items for sale. Furthermore, increased also allows better Heroes and higher level Mercenaries to appear at the Wizard's doorstep. For example, several high-level Champions require as much as before they can appear for hire. Finally, having reduces the total Upkeep Cost paid for all Normal Units and Heroes under your employment by . This improves the economy, allowing you either to accumulate faster, or to acquire more units. Note that Just Cause will also keep the wizard's Fame from dropping under . This is because the basic Fame score may never drop below 0, so with Just Cause the minimum is + = . Usage Just Cause may be cast only on the overland map, for the rather mild Casting Cost of . The wizard's Fame score, as seen in the Mirror menu, will immediately increase by and will remain 10 points higher than the wizard's "real" Fame score as long as the spell is in effect. To keep Just Cause in effect, the casting wizard must pay an Upkeep Cost of per turn. Failure to pay this cost due to lack of will cause the spell to dissipate, no longer healing units. After casting the spell, its name will appear on the "Overland Enchantments" list in the Magic menu. The color in which the name is printed indicates which wizard controls the spell. If the player controls the spell, he or she may cancel it manually by clicking the name of the spell. The primary reason to do this would be in order to remove the spell's Upkeep Cost, thus conserving for other spells. Acquisition As a Common spell, Just Cause may become available to any Wizard who possesses at least one Spellbook. However, its availability during the game is not guaranteed unless the Wizard acquires at least Spellbooks. Customized Wizards possessing up to Spellbooks at creation time may choose this spell as one of their default spells before starting the game, in which case the spell will already be researched and available for casting immediately on the first turn. Wizards with Spellbooks are guaranteed to have this spell available for casting as soon as the game begins. Wizards with or fewer Spellbooks who have not chosen Just Cause as a guaranteed spell have a random chance of being able to Research it. The chance for this spell to appear increases with the number of Spellbooks the Wizard possesses or obtains during gameplay. With Spellbooks, the spell is guaranteed to appear for Research if it is not already available for casting. Just Cause has a base Research Cost of . With at least Spellbook, the Just Cause spell may be acquired as a reward for winning encounters in creature Lairs, Towers, et cetera, or when conquering the Fortress of a rival wizard who has already researched this spell. Strategy Just Cause is rather cheap, and it would be a great help to cast it early on in order to gain quick access to strong Mercenaries and Heroes, even if it didn't provide an economic boost. Naturally, wizards hoping to recruit many such units should prepare accordingly by increasing their output (in order to pay the hiring costs). If additional can be acquired quickly, this can lead to having access to some very powerful armies by the mid-game. Note that wizards possessing the Famous Retort already have at the start of the game, so Just Cause will boost this to a cool very early on. This can give a fantastic head-start. Wizards possessing the Charismatic Retort also benefit, as they pay half-price for hiring units and purchasing items. Wizards possessing both Famous and Charismatic should, therefore, aim to cast Just Cause as quickly as possible! Being so cheap and useful, Just Cause is usually one of the first Global Enchantments that will be cast during the game - by any of the -wielding wizards (if there are any). Computer-controlled wizards seem to have a particular affinity with this spell, and will often choose to cast it as early as they can. As a side-effect, this allows you to identify any -wielding rivals before you've even met them. Category:Global Enchantments Category:Life